Ward's has released its list of Ten Best Engines, and this time over half of them are six-cylinders. There's few surprises to be found in the actual picks - perennial favorites such as Nissan's VQ V6 and Ford's 4.6-liter V8 are still listed, as is VW's turbo four. Making the list for the first time are GM's six-liter V8 hybrid drivetrain from the Tahoe and Yukon, and the 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 from Cadillac's CTS.

To be qualified for the list of Ward's best engines, the contestants must be available in a regular-production car in the U.S., with a price under $54,000 to prevent the list from being dominated by ultra-lux powerplants.

NEW YORK--Penton Media's Ward's AutoWorld® magazine has named the winners of its annual listing of North America's "Ten Best Engines." Amid high-profile national debate over automotive fuel-efficiency, these engines reflect the automobile industry's success at improving fuel economy without compromising performance. The awards will be presented at a January 16, 2008 ceremony in Detroit during the North American International Auto Show. Details on Ward's "Ten Best Engines" will be featured in Ward's AutoWorld magazine and on www.wardsauto.com in January 2008.

Selected by Ward's AutoWorld editors, the 2008 list is the magazine's 14th annual ranking; the list is North America's only awards program honoring powertrain excellence.

"The auto industry is in an era that will force enormous powertrain engineering advances," said Bill Visnic, Ward's editor for technical and special projects. "New fuel-efficiency standards are on the horizon, an improvement the public seems to demand. The fact that more than half of this year's 'Ten Best Engines' winners are six cylinder engines mirrors the shift occurring in the market and on engineering drawing boards."

This year, six Ward's editors nominated 37 engines for the competition. Over two months, editors scored each engine against all others in a number of objective and subjective parameters. Each engine must be available in a regular-production, U.S.-specification model on sale no later than the first quarter of 2008 in a vehicle priced no more than $54,000, a price cap indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle.

Ward's Automotive Group, a Southfield, Mich.-based division of Penton Media, has been a world-leading provider of auto industry news, data and analysis for more than 80 years. Ward's AutoWorld is a monthly magazine serving more than 68,000 automotive professionals globally. WardsAuto.com is an online subscription service delivering virtually all the industry news, data and analysis Ward's produces. Other Ward's titles include: the weekly newsletter Ward's Automotive Reports, monthly magazine Ward's Dealer Business, and a wealth of reference annuals, online databases, and customized data reports.

The Ecotec 2.0 (turboed) 2.2, and 2.4 liter engines should have made it. 130 hp/liter for the first one is just fantastic, and the other two are pretty good for their class (the 2.4 just stomps all over Toyota's 2.4) and have decent mid-range power levels, rare for 4 cylinder engines. I wonder why the Ford 4.6 made it. It has to have one of the lowest power per displacement ratios out there. I mean only 300 hp from a V8? That might have been acceptable 10 years ago, but it simply doesn't cut it today. I mean even Hyundai makes a V6 that makes better numbers than that now. Otherwise the list is pretty good.

When I drove the Corvette I was pleasantly surprised by its drivability. Sure it felt powerful, but it also struck me as something I could commute with every day. I've heard the same about the V8 in the Audi R8. That is my dream supercar.